US government shutdown to continue until agreement on border wall reached, Trump says

President Donald Trump greets members of the five branches of the military by video conference on Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018, in the Oval Office of the White House. (AP Photo) U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the partial shutdown of the federal government was going to last until his demand for funds

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Kenyan defense minister surprises Christmas visit to KDF soldiers in Somalia

Kenya Defense Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo and Chief of Defense Forces Samson Mwathathe have made surprise visits to Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers serving in different parts of Somalia. Mama said the visit was to appreciate the sacrifices the soldiers and their families had made to sustain a war against al Shabaab terrorists and secure

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Amnesty International Says Police in Sudan Have Killed 37 Protesters

Amnesty International says it has “credible reports” that Sudanese police have killed 37 protesters in clashes during anti-government demonstrations that erupted last week across much of the country. In a statement late Monday, the London-based rights group said the use of lethal force by security forces against unarmed protesters was “extremely troubling” given that more

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Japan stocks dive, Asia markets fall after US losses

AP Photo Japanese stocks plunged Tuesday and other Asian markets declined following heavy Wall Street losses triggered by President Donald Trump’s attack on the U.S. central bank. The Nikkei 225 fell by an unusually wide margin of 5.1 percent to 19,147.45 points. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 2.1 percent to 2,473.75. Benchmarks in Thailand and

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Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif gets 7 years in corruption cases

A Pakistani court on Monday sentenced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to seven years in jail in two corruption cases. Sharif himself was present in the accountability court in the capital Islamabad to hear the much-anticipated verdict after a 15-month legal process in the cases, popularly known as Al Azizia Steel Mills. The court acquitted

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Al Shabaab bomber executed in Somalia

The mastermind of militant car bombs that killed 26 people and injured nearly 40 others in Mogadishu in 2017 was executed in Somalia on Monday, the prosecutor of the military court said. Abdulle Bule said al Shabaab member Abdikadir Abukar was convicted of being behind a hotel bombing that killed 10, one near the ministry

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Burundi military opposes Somali withdrawal plan

The Burundi army on Sunday said it opposed a request by the African Union that it withdraw 1,000 soldiers serving in an African peacekeeping force in Somalia by February 28. Burundi army spokesman Colonel Floribert Biyereke said in a statement that the military would ask the government to argue for a proportionate number of troops

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White House in disarray sows distrust in Mideast ahead of peace plan roll-out

Jim Mattis. (photo credit: REUTERS) Trump’s defense secretary, Jim Mattis, and his top counter-ISIS official, Brett McGurk, resigned in protest last week over the president’s Syria policy, his treatment of longstanding allies and his perceived acquiescence to international strongmen. WASHINGTON – The implosion of US President Donald Trump’s Syria policy team has rattled Middle Eastern

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Two boys reported missing at sea during rescue of 69 migrants, Spain says

In this Friday, Dec. 21, 2018, photo, migrants sit in a rubber dinghy after Proactiva Open Arms, a Spanish NGO, spotted and rescued them in the Central Mediterranean Sea at 45 miles (72 kilometers) from Al Khums, Lybia. (AP Photo) Spain’s maritime rescue service said two children were reported missing at sea when 69 migrants

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Somali Prime Minister visits wounded people in the blast

Mogadishu, -His Excellency Prime Minister H E Hassan Ali Khaire today condemned the terrorist attack targeted in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Mr. Hassan Ali Khaire visited the wounded at Medina Hospital and  Ex-Erdoğan Digfeer hospital for the largest number of people, followed by medical conditions and access to health services. He prayed to Allah to

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